1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to bulk material compressing devices and, more particularly, to devices for filling a storage bag with grain, ensilage, hay, saw dust, and other bulk materials.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The desirability of storing bulk materials in plastic bags is widely becoming known since the invention of Alfred Eggenmuller et al as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,687,061. Prior to the Eggenmuller invention, little was known of the art of such bagging devices, except for the bagging of materials for disposal such as taught by the invention of H. F. Michael, U.S. Pat. No. 3,222,853.
Building upon the art of Eggenmuller are the inventions of L. J. Kosters, shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,412,567 and 4,484,606. The primary problem with the above specified inventions is twofold--the lack of proper compression within the storage bag and excessive compression within the auger tube. Both Eggenmuller and Kosters force material out of a discharge port in a single direction, ie., along the longitudinal axis of the auger and auger tube without control or effect on the bulk material once it leaves the discharge port. The result is poor compression within the storage bag. The Kosters inventions have the additional problem of having an auger support bearing and bracket located immediately adjacent the discharge port which prevents unobstructed movement of the compressed mass at a most crucial juncture.